The $1,000,000 buy-in poker tournament scheduled to take place at the 2012 World Series of Poker will feature some of the biggest names in the world of poker, as well as some titans of industry, and now we know precisely when the tournament will take place and what structure the WSOP will employ in this first of its kind endeavor.

The tournament was the brain child of Cirque de Soleil creator, philanthropist, and poker enthusiast Guy Laliberte, who floated the idea for the event in order to grow awareness, and make a sizable contribution, to his charity OneDrop; an organization dedicated to bringing clean drinking around the world.

Earlier this week the WSOP released the details for the tournament including the date, format, and details of the event:

* The tournament will be held on July 1st, 2012 at the Rio All Suites Hotel and Casino and will begin at Noon local time.

* The tournament, dubbed The Big One for OneDrop will appear on the schedule as the No Limit Holdem High-Roller Championship and sorts a $1 million buy-in ($111,111 of that amount will be donated to the OneDrop charity)

* The # of entrants will be capped at 48

* The tournament structure will see each player receive 3,000,000 in starting chips with 500 big blinds in Level 1 (3,000/6,000 blinds and a 1,000 chip ante). The tournament is scheduled for three days, with players participating in 10 one-hour levels each day

* The winner will receive a genuine WSOP Platinum Bracelet

Thus far 22 players have confirmed their participation in the tournament. Here is a look at the current list of players that will be playing in the $1 million buy-in event –only 15 of the 22 players that have registered have given the WSOP permission to announce their names:

* Guy Laliberté

* Bobby Baldwin

* Phil Ruffin

* Andy Beal

* Patrik Antonius

* Gus Hansen

* Daniel Negreanu

* Johnny Chan

* Tom Dwan

* Tony Guoga

* Jonathan Duhamel

* Bertrand “ElkY” Grospellier

* Sean O’Donnell

* Dan Shak

Anyone still interested in playing in the tournament can do so by reserving their spot with a $100,000 non-refundable down payment. However, when you consider the total prize-pool of the tournament could reach $40,000,000, and with a few soft-spots in the lineup, if a player has the money or could get the backing there seems to be some very good equity in the event!

For more information on whether the Big One for OneDrop tournament or the OneDrop charity you can head over to the following websites: www.WSOP.com & www.ONEDROP.org

Tags: Andy Beal, Brain Child, Cirque De Soleil, Dan Shak, Daniel Negreanu, ElkY, Gus Hansen, Guy Laliberte, Johnny Chan, patrik antonius, Phil Ruffin, Platinum Bracelet, poker tournament, Rio All Suites Hotel And Casino, Tom Dwan, Tony Guoga, Tournament Details, Tournament Structure, World Of Poker, World Series of Poker

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